originally posted by: ColdWisdom
Seriously though, the overwhelming amount of lawsuits definitely contributed but there had to be something much larger at play.

Even if they had 'dirt' on someone(s) that was 20+ years ago, administrations change, they were just overwhelmed by the plethora of lawsuits. It was
very costly for the government to counter all of them.

Even if they had 'dirt' on someone(s) that was 20+ years ago, administrations change, they were just overwhelmed by the plethora of lawsuits.
It was very costly for the government to counter all of them.

But when you say it like that it sounds so uninteresting!

Between the Remote Viewing program at SRI and Operation Snow White, the church had amassed an entire library of state secrets. Individual people were
probably targeted as well for blackmail & bribery but it would have been very easy for the church to disseminate national secrets to the public, and
do it effectively.

Exactly! They had extensive catalogues of cold war military psy ops, for one. Those would be pretty damning even if they were released today.
Ironically, much of it has been declassified but who knows how much still remains classified.

The Federal Security Service has conducted 14 simultaneous raids on the Church of Scientology offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It seized
documents that could shed light on the organization’s illegal financial dealings in Russia.

The simultaneous raid across the two cities follow the November 2015 court decision in Moscow that ruled that the Church of Scientology did not comply
with federal laws on freedom of religion, as it used its trademark for financial gain.

Raids on Tuesday were carried out as part of the ongoing investigation into the organization’s alleged money laundering activities, and in
particular into one member of the community, who is being probed over allegations of real estate fraud, that amounted to 130 million rubles ($2
million), according to RIA sources.

In April, authorities detained Ekaterina Zaborskikh for allegedly stealing large sums from apartment buyers in St. Petersburg. Investigators believe
that between 2012 and 2014 Zaborskikh through a construction company promised to build “affordable castles,” which were never delivered. Instead,
the money was redirected through the Church of Scientology as donations. Detectives believe that some of the stolen funds were transferred to the
organization’s account in Moscow.

Russia has accused Scientology of misrepresenting itself as a religion and using its trademark for capital gain.

The ruling backed by the Justice Ministry said that since the Church of Scientology had registered its name as a US trademark, it can’t call
itself a religious entity. As the Russian court banned the activities of the Moscow branch, the organization threatened to appeal the decision
claiming that it violates the rights of its parishioners.

See? I told you.

Looking for more evidence into the financial activity of the group, on Tuesday the FSB “conducted simultaneous searches” at 14 addresses in
Moscow and St Petersburg.

During the raids the security services seized “objects and documents” confirming that the church’s agents in St. Petersburg offered goods and
services in violation of Russian law, the FSB said in a press release. The property seized in the raids includes financial documents, hard drives and
notebooks of organization members, a source in the security service told RIA.

Such illegal activity, the FSB said, was carried out at an inter-regional level. While the investigation continues, authorities have launched a
criminal case into the “illegal entrepreneurial activity” of the church’s members.

Religious freedom only applies to religions, not ponzi schemes. Putin clearly isn't a fan of Dianetics.

Scientologists receive revenue by providing “consultation services” in fields such as education, “without any official registration,”
therefore evading taxes, a source in the security services told RIA.

And yet they still manage to pull the wool over the eyes of the IRS in the states. Still!

Spokesperson for the Church, Nataliya Alekseeva, has condemned the raids, saying the Scientologists are “outraged by the position of the
investigating authorities.” The representative stressed that the organization is working “for the good of the country” by sending out its
members to tackle the social problems of the country.

The Scientology church was founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard. Over the years, the organization has
attracted the rich and the powerful, including movie stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta. The organization was awarded the status of religious
organization in the US in 1993 and has gained various levels of recognition, enjoying tax exemption status across the world.

I wanted to have something articulate to say about this one but I haven't slept in two days and the video pretty much speaks for itself.

However, I will add that unlike the US, many other nations across the world such as Russia & Australia are actively engaged in an attempt to revoke
their tax exemption status.

Otherwise, just grab some popcorn and watch the video. Let me know what you think and we will have a dialogue before the squirrels show up.

Ah, the FSB will get to the bottom of things. The FSB is an agency that no one wants to cross. Their definition of political correctness is not the
limp wristed version of the Western world. If the Russians are announcing this, there were no payoffs and the prosecution will go forward. I'm sure
that the miscreants will respond well to interrogation at Lubyanka. If Scientology has to admit it is a business in Russia, how can it not be a
business in other countries? Miscavige will abandon his followers but they will confess that it is a business.

I note that Miscavige is wearing many ribbons from his heroic military service and has promoted himself to Captain. He has Dress Blue uniforms in
addition to choker whites. If I had more time, I'd see what those ribbons were for and if their precedence was correct but this no-load Dilbert midget
isn't worth the effort.

I note that Miscavige is wearing many ribbons from his heroic military service and has promoted himself to Captain. He has Dress Blue uniforms
in addition to choker whites. If I had more time, I'd see what those ribbons were for and if their precedence was correct but this no-load Dilbert
midget isn't worth the effort.

I read that Tom Cruise modeled his character in A Few Good Men (naval officer) after the real life David Miscavige. What's funny about that is that I
don't think David Miscavige was ever even in the Navy. LRH was, though.

If I am not mistaken ,I think I first heard of this issue with the apartment fraud from one of the Joe publics at one of Putins marathon addresses to
questions he does every now and again .There was no hint linking it to Scientology at the time and that would make sense ....Putin also created a kind
of task force of plain public people to get to the bottom of grievances ,bypassing the normal corrupt gate keepers so I suspect that we will see more
of this kind of house cleaning in the future ....Russia is becoming a beacon to the west and all that are watching ....keep up the great work Russia
..

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.